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Celtics down Bucks in low-scoring contest

Mar 14, 2011 - 4:39 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Ray Allen scored 17 points, Paul Pierce had 14 and the Boston Celtics stopped a two-game skid with an 87-56 thumping of the Milwaukee Bucks.

How lopsided was the game? No opponent in Celtics history has ever scored fewer points.

"That's about as humiliating a defeat as you'll ever see," said Bucks head coach Scott Skiles.

Allen played just 30 minutes, but was on the court longer than any other player in a game that was all but over in the first quarter.

The Celtics opened with a 14-4 run, led by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter and carried a 20-9 lead into the second. They held Milwaukee to 23 percent shooting in the first half, taking a 39-22 lead into the locker room.

Boston got 12 points from bench player Troy Murphy and 11 apiece from reserve Jeff Green and starter Nenad Krstic, who also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds in under 27 minutes.

The Celtics earned their 47th win, pulling even with the streaking Chicago Bulls for the lead in the Eastern Conference. They still hold the No. 1 spot by percentage points over Chicago.

"I want home court (advantage) and all that, but I'll let everyone else do the talking," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "I could care less about that stuff. If we don't (get the no. 1 seed) we'll be all right."

Milwaukee's top scorer was Earl Barron, who got 10 points in 10 productive minutes off the bench.

The Bucks had a three-game winning streak snapped in embarrassing fashion, making just 22 of their 70 shots (31 percent), three of their 14 three-point attempts (21 percent) and nine of their 15 free throws (60 percent).

Of course, they were playing the second end of a back-to-back that began Saturday night with a 28-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Milwaukee.

Traveling to Boston meant losing two hours -- one for the time zone change from Central to Eastern, and one because of the switch to daylight saving time.

"I really thought this was one of those scheduled losses for Milwaukee," Rivers said. "They were tired."

Boston led by as many as 26 points in the third quarter and by as much as 31 twice in the fourth, including the final margin. Every Celtics starter played some in the third, but all of them sat in the fourth.

"The other guys got to play stress-free, which is nice," Rivers said of his reserves.

Game Notes

Boston is 11-3 over the last 14 games in this series...The Celtics were coming off losses to the Clippers and 76ers...Milwaukee was trying to win a season- high four straight games.